Guitar Pickin’ Guardian Angel
My guitar pickin’ guardian angel
sang me a song about wagon wheels
when I was just four years old.
The melody wrapped around my heart,
squeezed it full of love, warmth,
and a healthy dose of courage,
And even though she was nineteen when I was born,
she carried my name and burdens
like she was carved from something stronger than stone.
My guitar pickin’ guardian angel
strums calloused fingers against the worn strings,
coaxing out memories like fireflies at dusk.
Sometimes her voice cracks on the high notes,
like lightning splitting open summer skies,
or dandelions sprouting through the concrete cracks.
She never said the road would be easy,
just promised I wouldn’t walk it alone.
And in those nights when doubt filled my lungs,
her melodies taught me how to breathe again.
b r e a t h e
i n
b r e a t h e
o u t
My guitar pickin’ guardian angel
sits by the poolside to get a tan,
skin soaking up sunshine like she soaks up sorrow—
She works forty hours a week,
like any other person, but still
finds time to hear the words I can never say.
Her laughter lights up a room,
like sunrise after a storm—
inevitable, healing, and impossible not to join in.
My guitar pickin’ guardian angel
drapes herself in rhinestones and gold-plated chains,
not for show, but as armor against a world that tried to dim her shine.
Some heroes wear capes,
but mine wears thrift store denim and a smile
that outshines all the darkness this world could ever muster.
The lessons she taught weren’t written in books—
they were hidden in late-night drives,
in the way she faced her battles with her chin held high,
in how she loved fiercely without condition or expectation.
And though I can never repay the debt of her kindness,
I carry it forward, like a torch.
My guitar pickin’ guardian angel
may never know how her melody became my backbone,
how her courage became my compass,
how her love became the map I follow home.
But in every song I sing,
in every kindness I offer,
she lives on
Georgia Coomer is a senior at Lindenwood University pursuing an English degree with an emphasis in Creative Writing. Her poetry and prose have appeared in multiple publications, including The Albion Review. When she isn’t wrestling semi-colons into submission, she can be found playing the latest Persona game.
You can read our interview with Georgia here.
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